Articles and Speeches

Letter from America.  Zero Tolerance
25-May-04, Windsor Observer.

"Having spent Saturday morning on resident’s doorsteps in Cranbourne, I am upset.

We live in such a beautiful area, and it upsets me that our peace is so easily ruined by a few.

Graffiti, aggressive behaviour and damage to our vehicles across the constituency, makes us feel uneasy on our streets and often insecure in our homes.

I write from Washington’s Capitol Hill today. From meetings with politicians, law-makers and campaigners, experienced in successful crime-reduction projects, I feel encouraged.

Many speak about the success of ‘zero tolerance’ in New York under former Mayor Giulliani.

He placed more policemen on the beat. They saw a major reduction in street crime, by refusing to turn a blind eye to minor offences.

I travel to New York on Thursday to discover from members of the Mayor’s team, how that success was achieved.

Ask yourself. Will yobs break into cars if a policeman - able to act instantly – is keeping a watchful eye from the street corner?

By preventing crime we not only save the anguish, we also save the money wasted on reporting, investigating and processing suspects through court.

More policemen on the beat, reduces crime; not rocket science!

Zero Tolerance works, perhaps this is a positive message from America."